As the spine is at the back of the body, prone, which is the face-down position, is used very often in spine surgery. There is an increase in pressure at the abdominal area in patients who stay in this position, and this pressure causes increase in bleeding in the operation region. This situation creates difficulty in working during the operation and extends the time of the operation. Moreover, some contusions occur at the patients who stay for long hours at the same position and this causes to extend the recovery period.
Current studies show that positioning the abdominal area of the patient such that it will remain at hole during the operation plays an important role in decreasing complications related to pressure.
Today, these operations are generally performed by the cushions put at the sides of the patient or with specially prepared supports; however this situation cannot provide a complete solution to position the patient right and to enable the safety of the operation. A few operation tables produced for this purpose are not preferred by hospitals due to high costs. Also, some models operators have difficulty in some conditions as they are not produced from a material which is permeable for x-ray that is necessary during the operation.
The international patent document no. WO2010040120, an application in the state of the art, discloses a prone surgery facial support device to be used during operations performed in prone position. The device provides high safety and creates an open and accessible environment for the anesthesiologist.
The Canadian patent document no. CA2298088, another application in the state of the art, discloses a frame for prone surgical positioning which is a frame placed on a conventional operating table and used in operation performed in a prone position. The frame has two longitudinal beams and two lateral beams. There are six vertical posts and six supporting pads on these posts. One pair of the pads are positioned under the patient's body to support the patient's upper chest, a second pair to support the antero-lateral aspects of the thorax, and the third pair to support the pelvis.